The train ride from Munich to Vienna took 4 hours, and the scenery along the way was cinematic: lush green valleys, smoky mountains and red roof villages.

Even though the rain these past two days had somewhat dampened our visit, it forced us to have some rest and relaxation. We had about 3 hours of sunshine this morning fortunately, so we were able to capture a few images of Vienna. We attended a mass at St. Stephen’s Cathedral on Sunday. It was easy to be absorbed in the atmosphere as we admired the incredibly ornate stone carvings and sculptures, the high stained glass windows and listened to one of the most amazing choirs and orchestra that we have ever heard.

We stopped by the Hofburg Palace and visited the Imperial Appartments and the Sissi Museum.
Looking at the collection of various objects that she once used, we could imagine her life as the Empress of Austria, a beautiful woman with a strong character whose fate gave ultimate favors but came to dislike her court formalities and obligations, and instead was constantly seeking thrill and adventure.

We absolutely adore Munich! We arrived to Munich with not much expectation, but the Biergartens and Wurst und Kraut won us over. We visited the Viektualienmarkt Beer Garden and Chinesischer Turm Beer Garden and really enjoyed the social atmosphere there. As we sat outdoor among 4000 beer drinkers and diners, sharing table, saying hello to strangers around, listening to the loud hum of converstations and laughters, we realized how desperately lacking America is for common social spaces.

Another highlight of Munich was the Deutsches Museum. We were expecially fascinated with the marine navigationand aeronautics exhibits.

Minh Chau’s paella and a glass of wine…
a perfect dinner…

ingredients: mussels, shrimps, chicken, chorizo, Spanish rice, peas, onions, garlic, saffron, thyme, cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, pepper, lemon, parsley, chicken stock
cooking time: 1h 30min